ORIGIN

BaT Exclusive: Clean 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera

8/3/2008 Update: This car has been sold. Stay tuned to BaT for more exclusives!

From 6/25/2008:

This ’87 Carrera is the first year with the desireable G50 gearbox, and has been extensively renewed with new black paint, rebuilt engine, and Eure-spec suspension. Clean examples of these mid-year cars are getting harder to come by, and Porsche fans are already talking about how these will be the next models to start appreciating. This 78k-mile example is available out of Grand Rapids, Michigan for $29,900. Contact us if you are interested.

This car has no signs of rust or accidents, and has lived a sheltered life. It has the right factory aesthetic, with flush fog lamps, Euro headlamps, and the flat whale-tail design. We would consider some reversible period RUF modifications like Yellowbird bumpers and wheels, but the looks is really quite good as-is.

The Fuchs are nicely reconditioned and the interior features perfect original door panels. The factory electric seats add weight but has great side bolsters. We like the factory black/black color scheme, as the 80’s was known to produce many uglier interior colors. This one will always look good.

The engine was rebuilt 7k miles ago. It has updated 993 chain guides and received new pistons and cylinders. The engine compartment looks very tidy, and receipts are available for the work performed.

This is one of the nicer 80’s Porsches we have seen in some time. Most have some flaw… either a Targa top or bad colors or poor modifications. This one has been preserved and came looking good from the factory. Pretty soon $30k will be a thing of the past for most worthwhile 911’s.

nice carrera,I would forget the RUF bars and stick a WPOZZZ rear bar to match the head lights,take the fuchs back to original with the black centres or possibly flat silver like the RSR’s than ditch the whailtail for a duck tail,chuck the airflow meter and air box and stick a K&N in its place,followed with a set of trumpet style exhaust system,swap the silly looking flag mirrors for a 935 pair,put the seats on ebay and get set of recaros,RS door trims would look the part,gosh where would you stop??….need to get rid of the sunroof tooo…and a red carrera decal along the sills..

I personally looked at this vehicle and it is absolutely outstanding. I have never seen paint like this ever on a vehicle. It has a beautiful deep black shine and it is nothing like I have ever seen. It is my understanding the gentleman that restored the vehicle worked for Meguiars as a rep and now works for a paint supplier. I was told he was born and raised in the body shop business through his father. It was a seven step paint process on this car and it is absolutely spectacular. The gentleman that restored the car did a phenomenal job. He even has all of the stickers in the proper locations. Great car and a very fair price for what was done to it. I’m still thinking about this one with at least a 20% gain on an annual basis.

Originality over restoration is an ongoing debate and can only be decided by the buyer; it’s what is important to you as the owner that will ultimately determine what you are willing to pay.

Nice examples of the ’87 to ’89 911s continue to appreciate. What makes all the difference in the world when considering pricing on any Porsche is service history, service history, service history! Oh yeah, did I mention service history.

It is hard not to comment on this one. What is worth more, a car with fresh paint and rebuilt motor or one with low miles and nice original paint? Given the choice, I lean toward the original paint, low miles version. There are still nice examples out there in this year range and so it is a realistic debate.

No matter what, one should not buy one of these cars without a comprehensive PPI and/or putting one’s own eyeballs on the car.

Patrick I own an 89 G50 Cab and think this car is very reasonably priced assuming all claims are true. It has the sport seats, a desireable color combo, new paint, rebuilt motor and rebuilt suspension. The paint and rebuid are worth well over 10K alone, and without them this car is still worth 20K easily! So 29K is a good price and I don’t expect it will last. Many prefer the NA’s for reliability and ease of use. The turbos are harder to drive and just are just plain dangerous.

While that looks like a nice example I think 29k is a little over the top.

Two months ago I paid $2000 less than that for my ’87 930 with original paint and 55k miles. I know the upkeep on the standard Carrera will most likely be cheaper than my Turbo but the fun factor with 350+ hp is also much higher. Anyone that picks a NA car over a 911 Turbo of the same vintage for similar money should have their head examined.

It think the owner is trying to recoup some of the rebuild costs in the asking price, this on will be a tough sell at that price.